John marks



-(Mode1.)

J. MARKS. LATCH.

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I A /N VE lll TOI? a MM ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED lSTATES s PATENT OFFICE.

JOflNhlARKS, OF BRIGHTON, ENGLAND.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,863, dated March 1, 1892.

Application filed January 12, 1891. Serial No. 377,455. (Model.)

To all whom it may con/cern,.-v

Be it known that I, JOHN MARKS, a subject of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland,- and a resident o f Brighton, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catches or Fasteners for Doors and the Like, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention has reference to catches or fasteners for doors, and more especially to fasteners for swing-doors for stores, shops, residences, and the like; and the invention consists of a door provided with a vertical handle, the horizontal arms of which are pivoted to suitable fastening-plates and adapted to engage a transverse slide-piece that produces the withdrawing of a spring-catch or fastener, so that the door can be opened by direct pressure on the handle without specially operating the spring-catch or fastener.

The invention consists, further, in the specific construction of the spring-catch or fastener employed and its connection with the pivoted handle and the plates by which. the latter is applied to the door, which constructive details will be fully set forth hereinafter, and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of my improved handle for swing-doors for stores, shops, residences, dac. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section showing the connection of the handle and its fastening-plates with the door and with the spring-catch or fastener by which the door is held in closed position. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the spring-catch or fastener shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4. and 5 are respectively a vertical longitudinal and a horizontal section of an alternative construction of spring-catch or fastener; and Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views, respectively, of the latch and transverse slide-piece of the fastener shown in Figs. 4. and 5.` A

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents a vertical handle that is used in connection with a swing or other door,`said handle being connected by horizontal arms c with fastening-plates B, which are screwed to the stile of the door, the plates B being provided with recesses for the pivots o. of the horizontal arms a.. Plates C are screwed to the plates B for-retaining the pivots of the handle Ain permanent position on the door, as shown in Fig. 2. The plates b at the inner ends of the arms a, a, are located inside of the recess formed bythe plates B and acted upon by flat springs Z9', as shown in Fig. l, which springs are attached to the under side of the plates C and serve to move the handle A away from the door as soon as the pressure on the same is relaxed.

In a mortise of the swing-door D is placed a spring-catch or fastener E, which is in closed in a socket or housing E', that is retained by a fixed free plate cx in the mortise of the door, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. In recesses at the rear end of the socket E is-guided a transverse slide-piece F, which is provided at one or bot-h ends with a headed screwstud f, according as a handle A is arranged at one or both sides of the door D. The screw-stud f is connected to one of the plates b of the handle A, which latter serves thereby to operate the slide-piece F. The shank e of a spring-catch E abuts at its rear end against the transverse slide-piece F, while the head of the catch E is provided with guide-pins e', that extend above and below said head and slide in longitudinal slots e2 in the cylindrical socket E', as shown in Fig. 3. The guide-pins e form pivots, on which the head of the catch may oscillate, so that the rear end or tail of the shank e can be moved slightly sidewise. The slide-piece F is provided with a pin f', that is guided in a slot f2 at the top of the socket E', so as to limit the transverse motion of the slide-piece F. The slide-piece F is preferably made of rectangular cross-section and provided with a recess e3 at its lower part, into'which the tail of the shank-of the catch E is free to enter when the slide-piece is moved in the rear part of the socket E by pressure on the handle Ain connect-ion with the pressure on the head of the catch by the pressure exerted on the door. The head of the catch E is thereby pushed back and permitted to disengage the strikingplate of the door-frame, so that the door can be moved into open position. This disengagement cannot take place when the slide-piece F and the handle A are in their normal position, as the tail of the catch E can in this case not enter into the recess e3 of the slide-piece F, but abuts against the solid part of the same until the handle A, being moved toward the door, moves the recess of the slide-piece F into line with the tail of the catch E, Yso that the tail is free to enter the recess' again st the tension of its spring acting on the head of the catch, so that the door may be opened.

It has been common heretofore in some instances to provide two inverselyarranged pieces or levers for enabling the spring-latch to be operated from either side of the door, the said levers being beveled or inclined to move or work against correspondingly-beveled recesses formed in the tailor shank of the latch. The device employed in the present invention for enabling the latch to be forced inwardly differs from former inventions,in that it is formed of a single piece or block that is adapted to be operated from one or both sides of the door, accordingly as the handle 5 are arranged on one or both sides thereof, and such construction is much more simple and easy to manipulate. As before stated, the latch itself is arranged to oscillate to a limited extent, so as to insure reliable working thereof, and this latch and slide-piece F, it will be again remarked, are both guided in their movement in the socket so as t0 operate together or in perfect unison.

The fastening described is more especially adapted for single or close-shutting doors, while for double or swing doors the fastener shown in Figs. 4 to 7 may be preferably used. In this fastener the catch E is made with a tapering head and provided with an auxiliary piece or lug E2 at its bottom part, which is guided in a corresponding recess in the bottom of the cylindrical tube or socket E', as shown in Fig. 4. The upper part of the socket E is also slotted for a guide-pin e. The spiral spring for the catch is interposed between the head of the catch E and fixed cheeks at the rear part of the socket, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The shank e of the latch E is extended toward the rear end of the socket, its tail being provided with a dovetailed projection e4, that engages a corresponding recess e5 at the under side of the transverse slide-piece F, which is guided in the rear part of the socket E in the same manner as before described with the fastener shown in Fig. 3. At the extreme rear end of the socket E' and depending from the top of the same is arranged a fixed block P, that is beveled at its lower end, against which the rear end or tail of the catch E strikes when it is moved back, so that it is depressed by the beveled `edge of the block P and its dovetailed projection e4 disengaged from the recess e5 of the slide-piece F. The catch E is then returned by its spiral spring into its normal position. To the under side of the shank of the catch E and the bottom of the socket E are applied beveled pins p p', which serve to lift the catch E again, so that its tail end can re-engage the recess in the slide-piece F when it arrives in its normal position. (Shown in Fig. 4.) The slide-piece F is provided with a headed screwstud or screw-studs f in the same manner as the slide-piece of the fastener shown 1n Fig. 3, said stud engaging one of the plates b of the handle A and being operated in the same manner. As soon as the catch E is moved back bythe action of the handle on the slidepiece F, which acts on the dovetailed progection on the tail end of the catch, the latter 1s withdrawn far enough so that the auxiliary lug E2 is released from its recess in the stx-1king plate, whereby the beveled end of the catch E is free to leave the striking-plate by the pressure exerted' on the door by the handle, the catch being pushed back against the tension of its spring into the socket and its tail end released from the slide-pieceF by the beveled block P, upon which the latch is returned to its normal position by its spring, as before described. The slide-piece F is also provided with apin f', that is likewise guided in a short transverse slot in the top of the socket E so as to limit the transverse motion of the slidepiece in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3. The slide-piece and itsfheaded stud or studs move in transverse mortises of the door at both sides of the socket, as shown clearlyin Fig. 2, the handle and its catch or fastening device forming a convenient and easily-operated Ameans for opening swing-doors, as the withdrawing of the catch or fastener is accomplished by the oscillating motion of the handle, while the closing of the door and the locking of the same are accomplished by the action of the spring-catch in the usual manner.

Having thus described myinvention, claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the spring-actuated catch, the slide adapted to engage or release said catch from either direction and consisting of a single block or piece working transversely thereto, the handle for operating said slide, `and the movable connection between said handle and slide, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the spring-actuated catch capable of oscillating to a limited ex- ITO tent, the slide adapted to engage or release said catch and permit of the oscillation of the same, a handle for operating the slide, and the movable connection between said handle and slide, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the socket formed with the longitudinal slots at its outer end and provided at its inner end with the recess or opening, the spring-actuated catch having guide-pins working in said slots, the slidefor engaging or releasing said catch, provided with a guide-pin working in said recess or opening, a handle for operating the slide, and a movable connection between said handle and slide, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a swingdoor, of a vertical handle having horizontal arms piv,

oted to fastening-plates of said door, a socket set into a mortise of the door, a spring-actuated catch guided in said socket, and a transverse slide-piece connected to one of the arms of the handle and guided in transverse re-y cesses of said socket, said slide-piece having a recess for engaging or releasing the tail end of the latch, substantially as set forth.

` 5. The combination of a door, a socket set into a mortise of the door, a spring-actuated catch or fastener guided in said socket, a transverse slide-piece guided in recesses at the rear part of the socket, a headed stud attaehed to the end of the slide-piece, anda vertical spring-cushionedl handle having perforated arms pivoted to fastening-plates of the door, one of the arms of the handle being con- 15 JOHN MARKS.

Witnesses:

HARRY D. WARNE, 24 llfz'ddle St., Brighton.

WILFRID G. MOODY, 14:6 Islingword Road, Brig/Mon,

Clerk.

Solicz'tors 

